Do you eat for comfort? Of course, the occasional treat to boost good feelings won’t hurt. However, if you often eat unhealthy comfort foods to feel better, your health and well-being will suffer. The trick to quitting happiness-enhancing snacks is to replace them with healthier, non-food alternatives that make you feel equally terrific.
You might think a non-food substitute can’t be as satisfying as chips or chocolate but stay open-minded since something will work for you.
Many unhealthy comfort foods give you an instant high. They remind you of foods your mother may have cooked or the treats she gave you as a reward for good behaviour when you were a child.
Also, certain foods create happy hormones. Your body encourages you
to eat as much calorific food as possible while it’s available. Many years ago, such measures would have helped you survive. Now, they can make you ill. All the reasons described help you associate junk food with feeling good.
You might reward and comfort yourself with unwholesome snacks, strengthening the link between security and unwholesome foods over the years. The good news is that unhealthy comfort eating is a habit, and habits can change.
Swapping an old practice for a new one takes time and perseverance. However, you will succeed if you repeat healthy
behaviours rather than revert to getting a food fix.
Many actions produce feel-good chemicals. To forge a new habit, though, it will help if you carry them out often, so your brain generates a link between them and an improved mood. You want thoughts of desired activities to pop up when you wish to feel great rather than images of cream buns and candies.
New behaviours might include a stroll in the countryside when the urge to comfort eat arises, or perhaps a foot massage. Alternatively, you could listen to music and dance or read your favourite magazine.
Maybe you’ve got ideas about what might work for you, like watching a movie or taking a bubble bath. What you do is immaterial; just make sure it’s pleasurable.
At first, you won’t automatically consider replacing unhealthy foods with your chosen activity because it isn’t a habit. The best way to make the behaviour routine is to engage in it when your brain tells you to gorge on food treats.
Repetition will make you associate the new conduct with comfort if you keep doing it and ensure it’s agreeable. So,
if you swap unhealthy comfort food for a walk, go somewhere beautiful or fun. Similarly, if listening to music is the new behaviour, focus on songs you love. Sit in a comfy chair and listen attentively or move to the music.
